Weight loss saves Georgia woman's life

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Gwen Garner-Rouse still can't believe how the decision she agonized over -- whether to undergo bariatric surgery -- would ultimately save her life, but not in the way you would think. She'd been battling her weight for 25 years.

"I had so many naysayers in my life.  Everybody kept saying eat differently, exercise differently," said Gwen Garner-Rouse, a 70- year old retired professor." Well, I'd done all those things."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH HEADLINES

Gwen Garner-Rouse before her weight loss (Gwen Garner-Rouse)

So, Longstreet Clinic bariatric surgeon Dr. Miguel del Mazo talked to the retired college professor through the process.

"And, I think, in the beginning, she was nervous.  She had reservations," recalled Dr. Del Mazo." She really wanted to have a deep dive about her life, her status, what could she expect.  What were the risks?  What were the benefits?"

Rouse chose to go ahead with the surgery, which helped her lose 175 pounds over the next year and a half. Then, came Sept 27, 2019.

"Oh, it had been a great day.  I got up and baked cookies to take to the eye surgery place.  I had my second cataract surgery. I could see better," said. Garner-Rouse.

But, that same afternoon, the hurt body began to hurt she was in abdomen hurt.

"She said,' my abdomen hurts'." remembered her husband, Rich Rouse.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE FOX MEDICAL TEAM

Rouse rushed his wife to the ER.

"I remember getting out of the car at Braselton and then I lost consciousness at that point.  I was still walking, I was still talking, but I wasn't conscious of anything that was going on," said Garner-Rouse.

Garner- Rouse was hemorrhaging internally, the mesenteric arteries supplying blood to her small and large intestine were rupturing.

"And when you have this type of aneurysm, 1.6% of the people with a mesenteric artery blow survive," she said.

Trauma surgeon Nathan Creel was on call when Garner -ouse was airlifted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.

"So, she was extremely critical, to the point that her bleeding was threatening her life," said Dr. Creel.

The team began giving her massive amounts of blood, rushing her into the operating room, to try to find the source of the bleeding. 

"It got to the point that every stitch we put in, the needle holes were bleeding as well,"  said Dr.Creel. 

Creel says if Garner-Rouse had not lost weight, it would have been much harder to get to her ruptured arteries and stop the bleeding.

​Gwen Garner-Rouse and her husband Rich after her weight loss Gwen Garner-Rouse ​ (Gwen Garner Rouse)

"He said you literally had two minutes left to live when I got you on the operating table, and if we would have had to cut through the fat, you wouldn't be here talking to me today, " said Garner-Rouse.

"I don't know that we would have been able to turn it around for sure.  And there's no way to know. There are times even now, looking back, that she was so close to not making it.  It was kind of touch and go the entire time," said Dr. Creel.

Dr. Del Mazo credits the trauma surgeon with saving Garner Rouse. Garner -Rouse reached out to the naysayers -- may be why she's still here.

"Sometimes there are still miracles today," said Gwen Garner-Rouse. "I feel so humbled and so blessed. I feel great."